Free Ride Day

Mutliple Trolley lines and more than 100 bus routes provide endless options to travel on Free Ride Day.

Headed to work? Try taking transit for your daily commute! With direct and express routes to some of San Diego’s major employment hubs you can take a break from traffic and parking woes. Or get out of the office and grab lunch in a new part of town.

• All three Trolley lines serve downtown San Diego, with Blue Line service to UTC, Green Line service to Mission Valley and more.
• Our Rapid network provides frequent, limited stop service from around the County, too. Get non-stop service from the I-15 to downtown on Rapid Express 280 or 290, from Eastlake to Downtown on Rapid 225, and more with our Rapid network. 
• Check out our commute cost calculator to see how much switching up your daily commute can save. 

Looking for some fun? MTS provides direct access to some of the best attractions in San Diego! Check out our popular destinations page for inspiration.

• Visit unique coffee shops, boutiques and eats in North Park & South Park with Routes 7, 10, 11 or Rapid 215.
• Catch a ride on any Trolley line and head to Little Italy or downtown downtown for dining and entertainment, or visit historic Old Town for tacos and some history. 
• Hop on Routes 8, 9, 27, 30 or 901 to catch a wave at one of many the many beaches on the Pacific Coast.
• And more!

Looking for kid-friendly fun? Take advantage of Free Ride Day and Kids Free San Diego, where admission to most museums is free all month long.

• Take the Green Line to the New Children's Museum or the Midway. 
• Hop on the Rapid 215 or Route 7 for direct access to the San Diego Zoo, the Comic Con Museum, and everything Balboa Park as to offer!
• Find another location to explore here. (Psst - kids always ride trasnit free with the Youth Opportunity Pass program, too. Explore more all month long!)

No matter where you are traveling to on Free Ride Day, you can plan your trip ahead of time with the MTS Trip Planner or by calling the MTS Information and Trip Planning Office at (619) 233-3004 from Mon-Fri 5:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. and Sat-Sun 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.

Free Ride Day Pop-Ups

Wherever you are headed on Free Ride Day, make sure to stop by the pop-ups around the system hosted by MTS, SANDAG, and our community partners! We’ll have fun giveaways and refreshments on hand. Check out the full list of pop-up locations and times below:

• San Ysidro Transit Center
  700 East San Ysidro Boulevard
  5:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.
• Old Town Transit Center
  4009 Taylor St.
  6 a.m. – 8 a.m.
• Fashion Valley Transit Center
  1205 Fashion Valley Rd.
  6 a.m. – 8 a.m.
• E Street Trolley Station
  750 E Street
  4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
• Euclid Avenue Trolley Station
  450 Euclid Avenue
  4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

SANDAG + Community Partner Locations

• City Heights Transit Center Plaza 4024 University Avenue 7 - 9 a.m.
• La Mesa Blvd Trolley Station 8248 La Mesa Blvd 7 - 9 a.m.

Rate My Ride

We want to hear about your experience on Free Ride Day! Tell us about your Free Ride Day experience for the chance to win a prize.

Stop by a pop-up event, or come back to this page and click the link below, to complete our quick (seriously!) survey. Open only on Wednesday, October 2, 2024. 

Rate My Ride (Only responses submitted on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 from 12:00 a.m. PST through 11:59 p.m. PST will be accepted)

Terms and Conditions

Now Better Transit

You may notice some changes onboard this Free Ride Day. There are so many little and big things that we have been working hard on to make transit better now! From ramped-up cleaning efforts to more security officers onboard we are working hard to give you a better transit experience.

Safer 

When you are onboard, your security is our top priority. That is why we have increased the number of security officers on our system by 60%. This means better visibility of security, more patrols on buses and faster response times when you need it.  

Cleaner

We know a clean ride is a comfortable ride, that is why we take pride in keeping our vehicles and stations in tip top shape. With a staff of over 200 professional cleaners, increased cleaning, and new tech savvy trash cans, we’re cleaning up our act.  

Better

At the end of the day, we want you to sit down, relax and enjoy the ride. So we are making the system more comfortable. You may notice new murals on the system, more shelter from the sun and new solar lights at night.   

These are just the tip of the iceberg!  

Learn more about the many ways we are making the transit experience better on the MTS system.